{"id":56336,"date":"2026-01-30T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=56336"},"modified":"2026-01-30T18:39:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T09:39:18","slug":"final-fantasy-fans-in-japan-hope-ff7s-new-version-on-steam-means-no-more-region-locking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/final-fantasy-fans-in-japan-hope-ff7s-new-version-on-steam-means-no-more-region-locking\/","title":{"rendered":"Final Fantasy fans in Japan hope FF7\u2019s\u00a0\u201cnew version\u201d on Steam means no more region-locking\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a somewhat mysterious announcement<\/a>, Square Enix recently foreshadowed that the original Final Fantasy VII<\/strong> on Steam will be getting a new version. It\u2019s not exactly clear how this version will differ from the 2013 PC port currently available on the platform, but the news has stirred optimism among Japanese gamers that the game might finally be freed of region-locking (as reported by Game*Spark<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it\u2019s currently not possible to buy or even access Final Fantasy VII\u2019s Steam store page in Japan. While the game\u2019s PC port can still be bought elsewhere, like the Final Fantasy VII Windows Edition on the Microsoft store, the Steam version became a victim of what Japanese gamers call \u201comakuni.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omakuni (\u304a\u307e\u56fd) is an internet slang word referring to a product or service being blocked in a specific country, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0most often used\u00a0in reference to\u00a0Japanese publishers\u00a0making their\u00a0own\u00a0games\u00a0unpurchasable or unplayable (e.g.\u00a0no language support) for\u00a0domestic\u00a0users\u00a0on Steam, often due to local\u00a0storefront\u00a0exclusivity deals.\u00a0The\u00a0notorious\u00a0practice is surprisingly\u00a0common, and\u00a0can be seen even with major\u00a0companies\u00a0like\u00a0Square Enix, Capcom, and Bandai Namco Entertainment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Final<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the case of Final Fantasy VII, there\u2019s no official explanation as to why the Steam version was region-locked in Japan for all these years, but considering that distribution of the Japan-targeted PC version (sold through Square Enix\u2019s e-store) ended in April 2025, it\u2019s possible that the new Steam release is meant to replace it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, we know that the new Steam version will replace the 2013 PC port of FFVII, with the latter still being available to players who own it but no longer purchasable. Additionally, owners of the 2013 edition will receive the new version at no additional cost, albeit save data will not be compatible between the two. Square Enix has also mentioned that the re-release will bring improvements to gameplay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/strong>Japanese publishers\u2019 habit of region locking games in Japan may finally be changing<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Final Fantasy VII’s Steam PC port from 2013 cannot be purchased from Japan, and gamers are hoping this will change with the upcoming “new version.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":56338,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nFinal Fantasy fans in Japan hope FF7\u2019s\u00a0\u201cnew version\u201d on Steam means no more region-locking\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Final Fantasy VII's Steam PC port from 2013 cannot be purchased from Japan, and gamers are hoping this will change with the upcoming "new version."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/final-fantasy-fans-in-japan-hope-ff7s-new-version-on-steam-means-no-more-region-locking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Final Fantasy fans in Japan hope FF7\u2019s\u00a0\u201cnew version\u201d on Steam means no more region-locking\u00a0 - 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